After several albums’ worth of beautiful whispers
and delicate glitches, it’s a joy to report
that on her sixth album ex-Sugarcubes maverick Bjork
is raising her voice and volume once again. Featuring
collaborations with Antony and the Johnsons’
Antony Hegarty on vocals, Malian Toumani Diabate on
kora and Chinese Min Xiao-Fen on pipa, plus three
production credits to Timbaland, this is a brass-heavy
collection which finds its creator sounding in love
with her children, nature and the earth. It also strikes
the perfect balance between the vibrancy of her poppier,
more dance orientated work in the ’90s and her
esoteric, more trancy experiments in the 2000s. Severely
recommended.